Many people visiting Iffley will be unaware exactly which fields are under threat and what the current plans are. This is intended as a guide for those wanting a more precise understanding of the layout of the fields purchased by Oxford City Council in 2020. There are two areas: The Horse Fields and Memorial Field
The Horse Fields
The Horse Fields, made up of three smaller fields, constitute the major portion of the land acquired by the Oxford City Council. They are visible from Church Way, just opposite the Tree Hotel and Tree Lane, and from Meadow Lane, in the gaps between the hedgerow on the left of the lane before a right-angle bend. Both views contribute to Iffley’s unique rural aspect within the city of Oxford. And from the trees in the fields and hedgerows, bird-song pours into Meadow Lane, especially in the months of April and May.
The Horse Fields are now owned by OCC (Oxford City Council) and are being developed by OCHL (Oxford City Housing Ltd), a subsidiary of OCC entirely staffed by City Council employees.
Friends of the Fields are campaigning to save the Horse Fields from development, and to ensure that Memorial Field does not follow soon after. Our position is that the fields should be open for public access, in a way that respects nature, and allows the fields to be regenerated as wildflower meadows, maintaining their present function in capturing carbon and regulating the Thames flood plain.
Friends of the Fields are advocating for the existing ‘homeowners’ in the area, namely the flora, fungi and fauna that already live there in abundance.
We continue to campaign to save both fields from development as guardians of this land, which for so many reasons we think is unsuitable for housing. Other cities have shown that in the 21st century there are much better alternatives for providing the affordable housing needed, by regenerating grey spaces to become attractive homes with new green spaces and access to the amenities of the city. In the meantime, as we know that this objective is not easy to achieve, and we are in discussions with OCHL to ensure that if development is to go ahead, it has the lowest carbon footprint and mitigates the effects on wildlife and the many users of the quiet route along the ancient lanes.
As a group, we feel there was inadequate consultation before putting these fields in the 2036 plan (no one on Meadow Lane was informed let alone asked for their views, and this seems to be the case for the whole village too). The Horse Fields are low-lying water meadows dating back to medieval times (when Meadow Lane was also the main route to the river). A stream overflows into the bottom of the field already, and this will cause problems if, as scientists tell us, water levels are going to rise due to Climate Change. The Horse Fields may look bare to the casual glance, but they are full of wildlife. Badgers, muntjac, roe deer, foxes, and field mice are among the resident mammals recorded on trail cameras over the past few weeks. Bats will return in summer, along with a wide variety of birdlife. Animal trails show that the whole area is in regular use. Green space within the city is a vital resource for wildlife, as the countryside is widely exposed to agricultural chemicals. From an environmental perspective, these fields are virgin land, free of chemicals and very hospitable to biodiversity, which we should be further enhancing – for example, planting with wildflowers and trees. Meadow Lane is a designated quiet route, used for active travel (walking, cycling, jogging, riding horseback) by around 500 people daily on weekdays, and around 900 people on weekends, according to a travel survey conducted by Iffley residents in December 2020. Introducing a housing development, access road, and between 60 to 100 more cars, will entirely destroy the character of this much-loved quiet route. Despite all this, options for preventing the planned development are very limited and thus we are working hard with the developer to ensure their process if fully transparent and allows for public scrutiny at each stage.
Memorial Field
Memorial Field offers a view to an ancient rivulet at the bottom of the field, across further fields and to the Thames River beyond. This is a view that has survived essentially unchanged since the middle ages, where the fields would have been used as part of an intricately interlinked agrarian economy. There was a memorial to fallen soldiers, from which its present name derives. But like the Horse Fields, Memorial Field has never had major structures built on it. Unlike many countryside fields, these have never been heavily treated with agrochemicals. Ecologically, then, Memorial Field is rich in potential to be developed into a truly enhanced biodiverse meadow, supporting bees, insects, wildflowers and many more birds.
The Friends of the Fields are concerned about its future, even though it is not currently allocated for development.
- The field is still included in the tender documents which are sent out to developers. If no development is planned, then why is this the case? This means the field could be at risk for access roads or paths, drainage works or other amenities yet to be disclosed. It’s also highly likely that during the construction phases there will be significant damage and earth moving by site machinery and the erecting of site offices and equipment.
- While we take the council at their word in terms of their current plans, there is no guarantee that a future council will uphold the same policy. As recently as 1994, the City Council was on the side of Iffley Village in resisting development of the Horse Fields, due to their importance in the rural Conservation Area. Since they shifted their stance completely in 20 years, what likelihood is there that Memorial Field would remain green in another 20 years?
Summary
Hopefully, this gives you more information regarding the fields. While the affordable housing argument is a very valid one, we are trying to remind supporters and residents that the argument is often unfairly framed.
- The fields are in the ‘local plan’ and the plan ‘can’t be changed’. But allocation is not the same as planning permission.
- The affordable housing issue is looked at in isolation and not in the context of the city as a whole, where there are better brownfield sites available for development
- In Iffley there are THREE developments being proposed at once. We’d like to see much more social housing included on Iffley Mead, leaving the Horse Fields and Memorial Field to be enjoyed by the community rather than being converted into private residences.
- Anyone trying to project green space is often accused of Nimbyism. But we are well aware this development scheme is being pushed all over Oxfordshire. Yes, we love and want to protect our local green spaces and wildlife, but we are also desperately concerned that green space is being built on, all over the county. This mirrors a larger pattern across the country, and writ large, development – regardless of the cost to nature – is going on across the globe, contributing to global pollution and dangerous climate change. The charge of ‘Nimby’ is laughable in the face of these present and very real dangers. For other examples in Oxfordshire, see, for example:
- https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18974908.oxford-nature-reserve-part-robert-jenricks-housing-plan/
- https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18953011.old-landfill-redbridge-paddock-suitable-200-houses/
- https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18957083.new-homes-development-north-oxford-revealed-first-time/
- https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18859878.unsightly-estate-built-milcombe-village-near-banbury/
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-55272284
- Rewilding is sometimes seen as the best way of addressing the environmental crisis, but the easiest way to rewild is not to develop in the first place. Councils are very good at making bold claims to tackle the climate crisis while at the same time signing up to environmentally destructive housing plans without considering more intelligent options.
Articles such as this one suggest that the housing policies have not been thought through properly:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55322993
This proposed development is an unconscionable political assault on this beautiful village. It uses the foil of “sustainable development” to ignore local mores and reasoned debate. It is a SHAMEFUL display of ignorance, disrespect, deceit and greed. Sadly, it is an attack on the principle of natural heritage as inviolate space.